I Remember
by TeaTimeTurtle
Summary: This story springs off episode 10 of the 03 t.v. series. Captured, Leonardo and is put under a brutal version of mind control. While serving the Shredder he faces off with his brothers against his will. Donatello alone is the beacon of hope and tries to rescue Leonardo. Just when things are turning around something terrible happens. How or *will* it end for this close-knit family?
1. Chapter 1

**Warning! The content which you are about to read contains an o.c. which you may or may not be familiar with.**

**_Sumi_ is a white mouse who is the boys' mother. You can read more about her in my other fan fiction "Motherhood."**

* * *

Leonardo gripped his swords tightly as he stared at his fallen enemies; the unconscious foot soldiers at his feet. A pair of clapping hands caught his attention. From the shadows, a man emerged, smiling.

"Impressive, very impressive. My agents said you were good, but their description doesn't do you justice. I am Oroku Saki, eighth generation master of ninjutsu. And you are?"

Leonardo slid his swords into their sheaths as he gave his name.

"Leonardo."

Oroku Saki neared him at a slow pace, studying the turtle intently.

"…Your, appearance…" he said. "It's very striking."

"It's not a costume. Although I know that's hard to believe," Leonardo replied.

Saki let out what could have been a short scoff or chuckle. Then he said: "Much easier to believe than you might imagine… I have seen enough of this world to expect the extraordinary. And you are extraordinary."

Leonardo folded his arms, eyeing him suspiciously. Saki turned his back to him and continued.

"But I did not ask you here to flatter you. We have important matters to discuss."

Leonardo retrieved the letter he'd tucked inside his belt.

"Then I take it you sent me this."

The mysterious man turned his head back briefly, closing his eyes as he nodded.

"Yes," he answered. "I felt it was urgent that we meet. There are things you need to know."

The letter was crushed in the frustrated turtle's hand.

"There are defiantly things I need to know."

"I understand that you've had a few… _encounters_ with my ninja before," Saki said.

"I've got the scars to prove it," Leonardo replied, scowling behind his mask.

Saki sighed, turning to face him once more.

"My apologies, until recently I was unsure of your intentions. Allow me to make things clearer."

Confused and curious, Leonardo fell silent for a moment before he asked, "What does that mean?"

Saki answered in an emotionless tone, staring at him almost in a way the said it was completely obvious.

"You have been caught in the middle of a battle that is so much bigger than yourself, war that has gone on for centuries."

Something about this man seemed off, but Leonardo pressed further anyway.

"What war would that be?"

"We have been fighting a corrupt and evil force. It is out there right now, working its insidious tentacles into every aspect of our world. It is an organization devoted to obtaining power through crime, political manipulation, corruption on a global level."

He walked up on Leonardo, looking into his eyes just a couple of feet away.

"Unfortunately the only thing standing against this evil force is me, and my humble army of ninjas, just as my master did and his master before him," Saki said. "I would like us to stand together. We have been fighting each other when we should be on the same side. Will you find it in your heart to join us on the side of good?"

"I'm… I'm not sure," Leonardo replied hesitantly.

"Please," Saki said, motioning to a large red door. "Let me to show you just what we are dealing with."

He walked to the door and opened it, waiting there for Leonardo to fallow him. For a few seconds, Leonardo looked around nervously before doing so.

Up above, outside the skylight, Raphael pressed his hand to the glass asking, "Where are they going?"

"I don't know," Donatello replied.

With a sick feeling sinking in his gut, Michelangelo said: "Guys, I've got a bad feeling about this."

After two elevators and too many stairwells and hallways later, Leonardo was finally taken to a vast underground space. From a metal balcony at the entrance, they could see hundreds of scientists and agents working on computers around a giant holographic blue globe. Above them all there were many large windows, showing even more people at work in special, pristine offices.

They went down the staircase and then further into the room. Saki stopped in front of one computer in particular. There he froze a high resolution digital recording for Leonardo to see. The honored guest leaned in to get a closer look at the picture. On the screen, a small creature with a brain-like form was controlling a robotic body from sitting inside the torso. The creature's face was manic in mid frame, attacking a helpless foot solider. Saki played the rest of the video when Leonardo had gotten a good look. He nearly jumped back as the frame came to life. It was so graphic that he had to turn away in disgust.

"That is what we are protecting innocents from," Saki said, disturbingly unmoved.

Leonardo took note of this and asked, "What the hell was that?"

"They are called Utroms," Saki explained. "They came to this world seeking to rule over us."

"Why?" Leonardo asked.

They walked across the room to the holographic globe, watching as multiple points lit up in red, green and yellow. The agents took notes and went on with their work. As they treaded through the maze of desks, Saki answered, "I do not know the full extent of their plans, but if they are not stopped, this world will fall." He put a hand on Leonardo's shoulder. "Will you join me?"

Leonardo turned away to look out at the room. A part of him wanted to say yes, but he was strongly reluctant. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but somehow he knew this wasn't right.

"Why do you want my help?" Leonardo asked.

"You would be a very valuable ally," Saki answered simply. "Your assistance in this fight is greatly needed."

"_Valuable_", that word struck a strong, eerie cord. Every inch of his skin was crawling. _Why did I put myself here_? He asked himself. _I'm surrounded by foreign ninja, deep underground with no means of escape. I'm completely at this guy's mercy. I couldn't be more of an idiot if I tried._

"I don't know," Leonardo said finally.

"Surely after seeing this you can not refuse," Saki replied, narrowing his eyes as he watched closely.

Leonardo took a step backwards, holding his hands up.

"I'm not saying no, I just need time to think."

Saki turned to the opposite direction.

"I see… Meditate upon what you have heard today and come again tomorrow night with your answer. We will be waiting."

Leonardo mustered a slight bow and went to leave, anxious to get out. Glancing back quickly, he caught Saki whispering something to one of his agents. The look on his face made Leonardo quickened his pace. As soon as he was through the door, he almost ran down the hall. He began to climb the stairs up, but two large feet stood in his way.

"Hun," Leonardo growled.

"Hello Leonardo," Hun sneered, reaching down to grab him.

Leonardo did a bouncy back flip, just barely avoiding his enemy's hand. While Hun charged, foot ninja flooded the stairwell. Leonardo whipped out his swords to fight them off. He did all he could do. In the end though, he was overwhelmed and beaten down. Hun pushed him into the floor with one hand. With the other, the ridiculously large man jammed something into the back of Leonardo's neck. Something metal pried and slipped inside. He screamed at the top of his lungs as it began to move. It felt like snakes coiling around his muscles and veins, biting his insides at every inch. There was one moving up his neck. It was the most painful of all. Something like a spark snapped in his head, causing him to black out. The last bitter thing he heard was Hun's booming laughter, joined by the army around him. Then the darkness stole him away, not to return him for a long while.

* * *

"How's it coming Donny?" Raphael asked.

"Almost…" Donatello trailed off. "Got it!"

Donatello opened the building's back door and looked inside. He gave a hand signal to his brothers to fallow him.

"Where do you think Leo is now?" Michelangelo asked.

"Don't know," Raphael replied.

"I'll take you to him."

The three brothers whirled around. The deep voice belonged to a large, muscular foot soldier. They were quickly surrounded by his comrades, who had electrical whips.

"Great, just great," Raphael grumbled.

"Right this way," the foot soldier said, shoving them down the hall.

As they were being herded through the building, Raphael clutched his sais tightly, wondering what this was all about. It certainly wasn't normal. For some weird reason, they got to keep their weapons.

Soon they were pushed into a huge room with stone walls, with the exception of one. The whole left wall was entirely glass, overlooking the city.

"What's going on?" Michelangelo demanded.

"This is your demise turtles."

A heavily armored man stepped into the dim lighting, his steel gauntlet gleaming wretchedly.

"Where's our brother?!" Raphael yelled, ignoring the last statement.

"He is here," the man answered coolly.

He gestured to his left and Leonardo showed himself. His brothers were relieved to see him, but also instantly concerned. He was far too pale, trembling under a cold sweat. The large, wet beads were dripping off him onto the hard gray floor. One of his eyes was extremely dilated. Dark circles hung below both. He carried an air of great fatigued as he seemed to be standing on his last leg. He gripped his swords loosely, as if he meant to attack but didn't have the strength. There were no bonds on him, so Raphael assumed the exhaustion was the only reason for his still being in this place.

"Leo, what's going on?!" Donatello asked, but Leonardo didn't answer.

He just stared blankly, as if he was blind.

"Leonardo," the man said. "Kill them."

His younger brothers stood still in shock as Leonardo raced forward to attack. Raphael moved to the side as Leonardo slashed out at him. The force he'd used on the failed attack had him crashing on the floor. Raphael watched with his mouth agape. In a desperate voice he exclaimed, "What are you doing bro?!"

Again, Leonardo didn't speak. He got back to his feet and tried again. During all this his brothers dodged easily. It was apparent that he was too tired to fight, but went on anyway.

"Leo! It's us!" Michelangelo pleaded.

"I think he knows Mikey!" Raphael shouted as he jumped up, just missing Leonardo's blade.

"What's wrong Leo?!" Donatello tried to get through, but nothing came of it.

In his rising frustration, Raphael slapped Leonardo in the back of the head.

"Yo, Earth to Leo! You finally snap or something?!" Raphael yelled angrily.

Leonardo ignored all their attempts to make a connection. He lashed out at them one last time. He managed to get a hold of Michelangelo and threw him into the window. His shell broke the glass. Neither had Raphael or Donatello heard such a frightening sound in all their lives. Their brother screamed as he soared out into the night air.

"Mikey!" Donatello and Raphael screamed.

They dashed to the window. Donatello acted quickly, taking a grappling hook from his duffle bag. He grabbed Raphael with one arm and jumped out. The armored man walked to the window to watch as Leonardo came and stood beside him.

Donatello and Raphael caught up to the still screaming Michelangelo. Raphael grabbed hold of him while Donatello threw the grappling hook. It locked onto an obliging pipe. They swung to their safety much to their enemy's frustration. The armored man turned to Leonardo and the foot soldier entering the room.

"Take him to the lab and have Stockman check his status," he ordered.

"Yes master Shredder," the ninja replied.

He and Leonardo bowed and then exited the room. The Shredder watched as the three made their escape across the roof tops, clenching his fists tightly.

"They will not escape me for long," he vowed.

* * *

The three remaining brothers stopped to catch their breath on top of an old café. Michelangelo collapsed against Donatello who'd already sunk to his knees. Raphael leaned against the café's sign. Then he punched it angrily.

"What just happened?!" he raged as he kicked it too.

Michelangelo and Donatello were silent, still breathing heavily.

"How could he just turn on us like that?"

"I don't know Raph," Donatello wheezed out.

"It was like he really wanted to hurt us," Michelangelo huffed pitifully.

Raphael got in his face and said: "Because he did!"

"Something's seriously wrong here," Donatello thought out loud.

"Maybe there was always something seriously wrong with him," Raphael snapped.

Donatello shot him a long, steady look of reprove that spoke his disbelief. Above and beyond infuriated, all Raphael could see was red. The last thing he needed right now was that look. The one Leonardo had worn so many times.

"You answer me how else could he do this?!"

"Calm down Raph!" Donatello shouted back.

"I just want to know why!" Raphael nearly screamed, his voice beginning to crack. "Why?"

No one could speak for a while. He'd said the only word their minds could process.

"…I… I wish I knew…" Donatello said finally.

He bent down to get Michelangelo back on his feet. Raphael reached down and helped.

"Come on Mikey," Donatello urged. "Let's go home."


	2. Chapter 2

The two warriors faced each other over a long distance. Out of his throat a battle cry tore loose, flying out into the air in front of him. He raised his katana as he closed in on Saki. He stopped for a quarter of a second as he was bringing his swords down. Saki stepped to the side and grabbed his arm. He used the appendage to slam Leonardo into the floor. Still having the arm in his vice grip, Saki threw it hard on the ground.

"You must focus!"

Leonardo pushed himself up to his knees. He bowed lowly and replied, "I will work harder master."

"See that you do," Saki said.

A servant came in with a folded shirt. Saki took it and put it on as he left the room.

In a secret laboratory, Baxter Stockman was inside working on his latest assignment. Without even looking, Stockman had grown accustomed to sensing others' presence. He wasn't really interested in the subject at all, but still he asked, "So how's the training coming?" His response was Saki slamming a fist into the counter.

"You told me you fixed his programming Stockman."

"Oh dear, is he still having those pesky instances of self control?" Stockman asked, a bit sarcastically.

"Fix it," Saki seethed.

"Relax; I'll look into it," Stockman promised.

Saki left without another word. When the automatic doors slid shut, Stockman rolled his eyes and muttered to himself as he continued his work.

* * *

Three lonely brothers sat around the kitchen table, staring at the fourth empty chair. Breakfast had been finished long ago, but it was hard to leave. Raphael finally had enough, slamming his chair into the table as he left. Michelangelo jumped a little, but was calm again in an instant. Donatello hadn't even flinched. He just sipped his coffee with a sigh afterwards.

Michelangelo couldn't bare it anymore so he turned his attention away from the chair. Instead he focused on his other brothers. Both Raphael and Donatello couldn't accept what had happened. While Donatello studied Leonardo's actions, Raphael shut down and stopped caring. Michelangelo sighed as he remembered the conversation they had with master Splinter that night.

_Raphael kicked the wall, asking, "Who are these people?!"_

_Splinter was drained at the end of his boys' story. He sat down in his favorite armchair, finding no rest or comfort in it. When he started to answer his son's question, his voice had aged considerably._

"_I know… who they are."_

_All his sons plastered their eyes on him. Sumi went to his side and took his hand._

"_We have always known," she said._

"_Say what?" Raphael asked._

_Splinter put his eyes up on the ceiling. It was the first time Raphael could ever remember Splinter ever avoided eye contact. He still wouldn't look at them as he finished explaining._

"_They are called the foot. Their leader is Oroku Saki… but he has another name… the Shredder… We have often told you of our master Yoshi. As you already know, our master was a ninja of great power, one of the greatest practitioners of ninjutsu in many centuries. Your mother and I were his pets and learned ninjutsu by mimicking his movements. There were many happy years. We were a family. All that ended when the Shredder sent his ninja to attack our master Yoshi. He battled honorably, but he was overpowered by their dishonorable ways."_

_Splinter cringed slightly, hesitant to continue. Sumi kindly helped him finish._

"_Then the Shredder himself entered," she said. "He accused our master of working for his enemies. He wanted information, but master Yoshi said only one thing. '_**He who lives without honor will end without honor**_.' When the Shredder realized he would not get his answers, he ended his life."_

"_We never told you this because we did not want your training to be tainted by the poison of hatred," Splinter said sadly._

"_Or to feel the sorrow that we still feel," Sumi added._

_Raphael growled lowly under his hot breaths._

"_I guess Leo was tainted anyway."_

_Interjecting for in their brother's defense, Donatello said: "There must be an answer for all this. Leo wouldn't betray us." Raphael couldn't take those words easily._

"_You were there Donny, you saw him. He knew what he was doing."_

"_How can you give up on him so easily Raph?! For all we know-" Donatello said, interrupted._

"_You think this is easy for me? Our own __**brother**__ just tried to kill us! He threw Mikey out a window! Did you forget already?!" Raphael exploded._

_Donatello had to look away. Raphael took a deep breath. He released it noisily and lowered his voice._

"_I want to know believe too Donny, but we can't afford to trust him. He took it too far."_

_The words didn't make a dent. Raphael felt slightly intimidated when Donatello looked him straight in the eye._

"_I'm not giving up on him Raph," Donatello stated firmly. "Not unless he tells me to my face."_

"_He'll do a lot more than that if you let him get that close," Raphael replied._

_Donatello stepped closer, meaning to say something else but Splinter stopped him. He held up a hand and said: "Raphael does make an important point. You all must be prepared to face him."_

"_How are we supposed to do that?" Michelangelo asked, speaking for the first time since they returned home. "He knows us like the back of his hand."_

"_You must develop new skills," Sumi answered._

"_We will start preparation tomorrow," Splinter said. "We can ill afford to waist any time. The Shredder moves quickly. He will be sure to make your brother a great deal stronger the next time you meet."_

_His sons acknowledged him silently, each one staring off in a different direction. None of them could have ever imagined fighting against their brother like this._

Michelangelo sighed when they were called by their father. They met him in the dojo, but not to train. They were packing. Splinter and Sumi thought it would be too dangerous to stay home. Casey offered them his grandmother's farmhouse, but none of them wanted to be far from the city, especially now.

They only packed what they absolutely needed. Then they carried everything up to the garage to be loaded into the battle shell. After scoping the area, they left at dawn. Michelangelo looked back, watching the abandoned warehouse until it was curtained behind the other buildings.

The car ride was silent. No one spoke a single word. The only noise was the family's breathing, and an occasional cough or sniffle. Finally, they reached their destination. They parked in an empty garage connected to an old closed down boardinghouse. April and Casey were inside to meet them. April was the first to greet them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey," Michelangelo replied weakly.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here Casey," Donatello said as he exited the vehicle.

"No prob," Casey smiled. "Ma's still working up the money to remodel this place, but it's not half bad as it is."

"You guys are the first tenants in almost forty years," April said as she led them inside.

Michelangelo watched a roach cross his path.

"Are you sure about that?"

Casey chuckled as he led the way up the staircase, carrying two armfuls of bags. Afterwards he gave them a tour and they picked their temporary bed rooms. The house was old, but it was immaculately clean thanks to Casey and April.

Raphael took their food supplies down to the kitchen to stock the cupboards and fridge, but they were already full. He smiled, thinking he would kick Casey for it later, after he thanked him.

* * *

In the three weeks that fallowed, they kept a close watch on their home. Donatello set up his special homemade security cameras, two outside their front door and ten more around the perimeter. They were designed to change tapes on their own ever eight hours. Once a week they would go down to get the old tapes and replace them with new ones. Then they would play them on an old television they found in the attic. It didn't have a very clear picture, and it was fuzzy most of the time, but it worked well enough for its purpose.

Donatello placed the last tape on top of the large stack next to him. The tunnels were still clear. No sign of the foot anywhere. Rather than relieve him, it confused him. If Leonardo truly meant to kill them, wouldn't he come after them? This just didn't add up.

"Everything's okay?" Raphael asked.

The stubborn brother had just walked in, so quietly that Donatello hadn't noticed, or more likely because he was so tired from watching a ton of tapes.

"Yeah, there's no sign of them," Donatello answered.

"Yet," Raphael corrected.

Donatello glared at him for a second before turning back to his task.

"I'm heading out," Raphael said before he left.

He didn't leave until Donatello nodded. The remaining brother shook his head as he broke one of the tapes in half and then pulled the film out. They had to do this before throwing them away, just another one of their many precautions.

Raphael stormed out of the house, wondering why they did all this. He raced over the roof tops for hours, never stopping. This was one of the few occasions Splinter and Sumi let him out of the house. Another precaution they took. Leonardo was dangerous now. He knew all their stomping grounds. Raphael and his brothers were allowed to go out once in a while, when Splinter planned out their routs. They usually went on runs together, but Raphael had begged his parents for the alone time he was so deprived of at the old boardinghouse. They had been together solid for almost a month. He was ready to explode. They consented after a few days of thought and carefully mapped out a few routs for him. Splinter told him that if he was going to be out for more than a few hours he had to call. He did just that a few moments ago, sitting alone with a small breeze as his only company. It chilled his skin slightly as he watched and pondered the busy city below him.

Everyone was on their own path in life, connected in some way to everyone around them, even to himself and his family. It was the world's obliviousness to the mutant family that kept them safe. It also imprisoned them to the shadows and sewers of the city. The only connection they had to a normal way of life was their friends, April and Casey. They were a window to a life they could never have, being forced into hiding by the world around them, and now by one of their own.

Leonardo's betrayal hurt more than the unacceptance of the entire world. It burned a raging hole in his heart. He wanted him to pay for what he did to their family. Their mother cried herself to sleep almost every night with Splinter holding her. Donatello drove himself mad trying to figure him out and Michelangelo became silent. His jokes and laughter had disappeared, replaced by quiet thoughts and training. Sometimes at night though, he would be found playing a handheld game with a small smile.

Despite all the pain they were getting through this, leaving a trail of the broken pieces of their hearts behind them. Every step they took was stronger than the last. They were moving on. Raphael knew he was ready to face his brother. He had now accepted him as the enemy and was prepared to treat him as such when the time came. The anger that continually swelled inside of him overcast the sorrow he had for his lost brother. Slowly, it was becoming nonexistent. If Leonardo wanted to go down that path that was fine with him, but he would stop the destruction it left behind. It looks like he'd get his chance tonight.

A few miles away Leonardo was leading a small squad of foot ninjas. They were chasing another group of people who were also dressed black, but with brown overcoats. Raphael went after them and caught up. He stayed in the shadows, looking for his chance to make a move. Leonardo must have noticed him. He stopped as the others ran ahead without him, still in hot pursuit. Leonardo looked back with those new strange barren eyes. He unsheathed his swords and let them hang by his legs, barely touching the ground.

In this still moment, Raphael got a good look at him. He was wearing a foot uniform, but where there should have been of gray, blue replaced it. He didn't wear the black mask, only his own.

"How'd you know it was me?" Raphael asked sarcastically.

Leonardo was still silent when he jumped. Raphael missed the aerial assault by a hair and had to jump back as a katana slashed out at him. He raised his sais up to block them both from coming down on him. Leonardo pushed him to his knees, but Raphael stayed strong and managed to rip his brother's swords from him, slinging them to the right. Leonardo backed up as Raphael stood up. He slid his sais back in his belt and ran towards him, throwing punches in every direction. Leonardo blocked or evaded them like it was nothing.

For a brief second, Raphael thought they were back in the dojo, sparring as brothers and not fighting as enemies. He flipped back and then attempted to kick Leonardo in the face, but he leaned back, avoiding the green foot. He pushed himself off the ground a second after and preformed the same back flip, achieving what Raphael didn't. In the air Raphael's chin connected with both of Leonardo's feet. This flipped him once more in the air and the landing left him on his back. Raphael opened his eyes. In a flash of lighting, Leonardo had his swords back. He held one high in the air and then brought it down towards Raphael's chest. The desired outcome didn't come to pass. Raphael rolled out of the way and quickly got up with his back to Leonardo. He jabbed his elbow deep in the traitor's stomach. Leonardo let out a small breathless grunt and grabbed Raphael's arm. Then he flung him around himself and slammed his younger brother into the ground. However Raphael had taken hold of his arm during the _flight_ and used the limb to flip him over. Raphael got up quickly and took out his sais. He kneeled on Leonardo's stomach before he could get up and held the sais against his neck.

Rain started to pour all of a sudden. It seemed to come out of nowhere while both the ninjas were caught up in battle. Lightening streaked across the gray clouds, accompanied by claps of thunder.

"Why Leo," Raphael asked, water dripping off his beak. "Why are you doing this?"

"It is my soul purpose to serve the Shredder," Leonardo finally spoke. "If anyone gets in the way of that, I will destroy them."

Raphael gritted his teeth and pressed the sais ever closer against Leonardo's skin.

"Okay, forget why," he said. "Tell me _how_ you could do this?"

Leonardo didn't answer, but his communicator hummed with a troubled voice.

"_Captain Takahiro, we've lost them. What are your orders?_"

"Captain Takahiro..." Raphael ground out. "Is that the pet name your new master gave you?"

"_He's not responding,_" the foot soldier said to someone else.

"_Takahiro!_" Hun's voice roared in the speakers. "_Get your sorry carcass down here! Shredder's orders!_"

Leonardo kicked Raphael off of him and dashed off. By the time Raphael had gotten back up, he was gone.

"Where're you going coward?! Get back here and finish this Leo!" Raphael shouted to no one.

When he received nothing but silence, he released an angry scream.

"**LEO**!"


	3. Chapter 3

_I am the walking dead. My arms and legs are shackled with the heavy burdens of weakness. Darkness is my world. It is the time that passes, and the never changing sight in front of me. Still, somehow, flashes of my hopeless life find me. Raph, I'm… I'm sorry. I've lost my strength to fight it. The only thing I have left is silence. It is the only protection I can provide, but at the same time it's slowly destroying what's left of my mind. I can't ever tell you how much I want all this to stop. You and our family have been wounded in the worst way, by a traitor. I'm sorry. I don't know what to do…_

"I must have the Sword of Tangu!" Saki said as he paced in front of Leonardo.

He was seated in a metal arm chair in Stockman's laboratory for a daily round of interrogation. Stockman was working hard to retrieve information through his so called "brilliant devices", but nothing could pierce through Leonardo's barrier. It was his last form of free will and he would not let go of it for anything. A lot depended on it.

Stockman grew nervous as his latest procedure didn't take. Leonardo remained silent. Saki grew more and more enraged as time elapsed.

"Tell me where your brothers are keeping the sword!" he commanded once more.

To that Leonardo said nothing, as always. Saki turned to Stockman for answers. The bitter shell of a man didn't look back. He only stared forward while turning up the frequency on the control panel. Saki looked to Leonardo again. The young turtle's mouth moved slowly, but without sound. There were small, struggling noises in the back of his throat when his jaws clamped shut.

"He's very resilient but we'll break him… eventually," Stockman said as he turned the frequency back down.

"You had better hope that doesn't take you too long Stockman," Saki hissed. "My patience is wearing thin. Perhaps I should allow Hun to finish what he started."

"That won't be necessary I assure you. I can handle this. It will just take some time," Stockman insisted.

"Very well," Saki replied. "But no more excuses."

A scowl grew on Stockman's face when Saki left. Then he began the usual routine of unhooking Leonardo from the chair. "Stubborn terrapin, you'll be the death of me."

"_I hope I am the death of you."_

Small red and blue tubes connected him to the chair. They were plugged into his arms and neck by thin needles. Fluids of the same colors were dripping off the tips as Stockman laid them down on a metal tray near by.

"Get going. You have another mission tonight," Stockman informed.

Leonardo bowed and went to his private living quarters. Hun was there waiting for him, glaring as he walked in.

"You're leading the elite tonight," he said with a twinge of jealousy.

"There's a ship coming in to meet a squad of guardians. You're going take over the ship and everyone on it captive. Exterminate all guardians. The master doesn't want to take any more prisoners than he has to," Hun explained as he gave him the location. "The ship is expendable, but _only _if it costs you the passengers. Don't loose that ship!"

"Yes sir," _is my forced reply_.

"Suit up before you go," Hun ordered as he pointed to the table. "The master has a new outfit for you."

_He's gone. I try, as I've tried many times, to work free will into my body as I put on the uniform. It's exactly like the others', except it is completely black and there's a golden foot crest pinning the cape on._

_I've worn many different uniforms before. The Shredder's tested me in a lot of different positions. This is the last one I will be given. Now I have the second most powerful position in the clan, basically second in command… Well, third actually._

_Oruko Saki must be satisfied enough with Stockman's work to allow me to lead his elite guard. As for him decorating me like this, that could mean there's a possibility of running into my brothers. I must break these chains of choiceless fate, somehow._

* * *

Donatello stood on the roof of the old boarding house with his telescope. He was staring out at the constellations, wondering what lay beyond them. Michelangelo came up, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He yawned sleepily, trying to get through to the industrious, determined turtle.

"Are you going to bed Don?"

"I will in a minute Mikey," Donatello sighed, adjusting the lenses.

Michelangelo stretched his arms as he whined, unnecessarily drawing out each word.

"You said that, like an hour ago."

"I won't be much longer. Go ahead and get some sleep Mike," Donatello assured.

"Alright, suit yourself. But don't nod off tomorrow," Michelangelo warned.

"I won't. Good night," Donatello replied.

Michelangelo sighed and left him alone with the stars. Donatello would spend the next hour alone on the roof top, until he caught sight of something amazing. He saw a bright light shooting down from the night sky. At the front of the great beam was a spaceship! It was unlike anything he had ever heard of in all of science fiction. It faded from sight by cloaking itself with invisibility.

Donatello, greatly intrigued, dashed forward after it. He could still see the faint outlines of it as it descended down near by. It landed not far from the house. He watched as it returned to his vision down below, in an alley. What shocked him the most, out of all this, were the humans stepping out of it! Five scientists filed out with a robot. He was on the short side, but still taller than Donatello himself. His green eyes glowed in the darkness.

Seconds later another group stepped out of the shadows to meet them. They had the exact description Raphael had given the week before. When telling about his night out alone with Leonardo, he mentioned that the foot were after another group of strange ninjas. There were twelve of them tonight. As the groups conversed with one another, a small squad of new ninjas crawled into the scene. They wore the foot symbol on their chests, but their uniforms were different. These foot ninja were more fearsome, wearing capes and straw hats.

"_Probably higher ranking_," thought Donatello as he observed.

The foot ninja snuck up behind the space ship, but their presence must have been anticipated. The group of twelve guarded the scientists from the surprise attack. Donatello didn't know what to do. He didn't have his shell-cell. Should he go back for the others? Would it be too late by the time he returned? Then something happened that clinched his decision. The leader of the foot ninja squad was knocked back. His hat fell away, revealing Leonardo's face. Donatello screamed out his brother's name as a blade began to fall upon him.

Leonardo watched as a guardian's sword soared for his chest. To everyone's surprise, Donatello fell from nowhere and stopped it with his bo.

"Leo... Bro…" Donatello panted as he stretched out his hand.

Leonardo growled intensely and smacked it away. Donatello's hurt expression tortured Leonardo's soul.

"_Stay away Donny_!"

Leonardo got to his feet in an instant and shoved Donatello away. Then he picked up his swords and began lashing out at the guardians. The elites had tied up the scientists in the midst of the confusion. Leonardo shot through the small crowd of guardians and then heaved the restrained robot onto his shoulders.

"Put me down!" the robot droned in a high voice.

The robot beat on Leonardo's shell as he fought the oncoming guardians.

"Get in the ship and go!" _I order_.

"Don't let them get away!" one of the guardians yelled.

Donatello gritted his teeth and joined the guardians in fighting against Leonardo. Leonardo was forced to drop the robot to fight. He desperately tried to stop his self. As a result his motions were jerky and hesitant. It became so horrible, everyone couldn't help but notice.

"_Don, I_…_I wish I could say something_. _**Do**__ something, anything to show you that I'm still here."_

The vicious words that he had been ordered to say threatened to spill out. He shut his mouth and locked it with all the will power he had left.

Donatello dashed and swung his staff at Leonardo's head, but he grabbed it and pushed back, forcing Donatello to the ground. His katana came down and were blocked by his brother's staff.

"Leo, stop! You have a choice!" Donatello pleaded.

"Don…" _I fight to say_. "I… Help…"

Donatello brows rose up as he said: "Leo…?"

"Help… me… Donny… P-Please…"

Leonardo cringed as he lost control yet again.

Donatello looked at him, confused and hopeful, as he struggled to sheath his swords. Disappointingly, Leonardo picked up the robot again and ran to the ship.

"Get to the ship!" _I command_.

"We must stop them!" one of the guardians cried.

The guardians swarmed the ship's entrance and raised their weapons. The elite guard looked to their leader who gave them a hand signal. Then the five of them retreated into the darkness with their captives.

"Elliot! Take your men and go after them! We'll clean up here," said a man with jet black hair.

The other man addressed nodded before he and four others took off.

Donatello lowered his bo as he approached these new ninjas.

"The turtle leading the foot's elite… Is he a relative?" the black haired man asked.

"Yes," Donatello answered. "We're brothers."

"But you are not of the Shredder's clan?"

Donatello shook his head, putting his bo away.

"I don't think Leo is either. Not really."

* * *

Leonardo and the elite dropped the Shredder's new prisoners in front of him. Saki smiled as they glared at up him from the floor.

"You'll never get away with this," one of them said.

"I already have," Saki replied. "Take them to their _quarters_."

"We refuse to work for you Ch'rell!" another yelled.

"You have no choice," Saki laughed as they were taken away.

Each captive had a cell in separate stone bricked rooms. All the rooms were pristine white with matching tiled floors. Every elite was assigned to stand guard outside one of the cells. Leonardo's luck of the draw was the robot. He threw him behind the steel bars and locked the door with a code. Then he assumed his post in front of it.

"Let me out! I will never cooperate! Never!" the robot cried.

"My master advises that you should remain quiet professor Honeycutt. I suggest you heed his words," Leonardo replied darkly.

"I will not!" professor Honeycutt shouted while he pounded on the bars.

As Leonardo was preparing to silence him, the professor noticed something on the back of his neck. It looked like a giant glowing blue button.

"Oh my, what's this?" he said as he touched it.

Leonardo froze instantly on contact.

"I wonder…" professor Honeycutt said as he pressed it.

A holographic screen shined from it. The professor pressed the touch activated keys on it. After he entered the right sequence, Leonardo's true self finally emerged.

"W-What…happened?" Leonardo asked, his body still frozen.

"Just as I suspected, you are under the influence of an Utrom prison guard device. It renders one completely obedient. It is used in Utrom prisons to keep criminals in line." Professor Honeycutt explained. "This one has been altered slightly. Hmm. What a very curious thing."

Leonardo swallowed dryly.

"I-I'm free now?" he asked shakily.

"Not exactly, I was only able to deactivate a few facial and vocal controls," professor Honeycutt explained sadly. "It has many encoded passwords that unlock certain body functions."

Leonardo tried to move his hands. They wouldn't budge.

"C-Ca-n you re-move i-it?"

"I'm afraid I can't without the right passwords. I am sorry. Did the Shredder take you from your home world?" the professor asked.

"No, I've l-lived here a-all my life-e," Leonardo answered.

The professor was further confused.

"That's strange. According to my knowledge of earth, humans are not accustomed to other alien races walking among them."

"That's why we don't. And we're not aliens."

"What do you mean, _we_?"

Tears began to fall from Leonardo's eyes. Apparently the professor had unlocked that as well. Slightly embarrassed, Leonardo wished he hadn't.

"My family, we've lived in secret our whole lives. We…"

He couldn't say anymore without emotion getting in the way. The professor picked up on this easily and asked tenderly, "Was that other terrapin creature from before a part of your family?" Leonardo managed a small "Yes."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the professor replied. "I know, somewhat, what it is like being forced against your will."

Leonardo wished they could sit down and talk normally. Instead he was forced to keep standing guard.

"You do?" he asked.

"It is a long story."

Leonardo's laugh was scratchy, but a hundred percent jovial.

"I've got time professor."

The professor sat down with his back to wall as he began the long tale.

"Well, you see… I was once human, a scientist from D'Hoonnib. Back then I had invented a way to teleport beings to planet to planet. I called it the Teleportal Device. It was intended to promote peace, but others only saw its potential for war. General Blanque of the Federation wanted to use it as a militant weapon for death and destruction. That is why, even though he was funding my work, I could never build it for him.

"One fateful day, I was testing my Mentawave Helmet, a device for boosting mind powers; like telepathy or telekinesis. It was then I received a distress call from my worker robot Sal. He had become entangled in some wires outside my laboratory. An electrical storm was brewing and we were struck by lighting. The lighting must have triggered my Mentawave Helmet. My body was destroyed but my mind was transferred into Sal's robotic shell. Apparently, the _good_ General had been spying on me and was well aware of my situation. He was overjoyed. You see, robots have no rights. The General could do anything he liked with me now. The Teleportal I wouldn't give him when I was human, he could take from me now that I was a robot. He sent his men after me. But with the help of a Varlesh, a large hermit crab-like creature, I was able to elude them, for a time.

"I traveled from planet to planet, barley escaping Blanque's soldiers. As I did, word traveled about and soon everyone was after me. The most relentless among them, besides the Federation, was the Triceraton Republic; a society of grotesque, beastly aliens with horns. They and the Federation are sworn enemies. They would do anything to destroy each other. My Teleportal was the key both sides needed.

"Eventually, the Federation caught up with me. They tried many… _persuasion_ tactics on me. All failed. I refused no matter what they did. After some time however, they discovered a way to hack into my databanks. Through great difficulty, I managed an escape before they could try it. Everything was happening so fast during that time. Before I knew it, the Triceratons found me. They hacked into my system and forced me to build the Teleportal. I had almost completed it when the Utroms tracked us down and saved me. They gladly offered me citizenship on their planet, to live peacefully and use my knowledge only for good. It was a dream come true.

"So you see my friend, I too know the cruelness of being forced to do something against your will. However I do not know what it is like to do such things against one's own family. That must be terrible."

"It is," Leonardo said tonelessly. "Is that why you're here?"

"Pardon?" professor Honeycutt asked.

"Why the Shredder brought you here?" Leonardo clarified.

"Ah yes. He has his own plans for the device as well. He wants us to construct one for him. As to my _intended_ objective here, I was going to assist in the construction of a second more efficient model. I redesigned it along side the Utroms. We call it-"

* * *

Donatello walked into a large building with the guardians. It had a "T.C.R.I" sign above the entrance. His memory went back to a familiar canister with the same letters.

"This way Donatello." said the team captain, Seth, as he guided him through a series of halls.

They finally reached a large circular room with a strange machine at the other end. It was a round blue pad that was lit up with a silver light under the surface. Four giant glass tubes rose up all around it. Blue electricity shot up into the ceiling inside of them.

"Welcome to our home." greeted a strange, small alien creature.

Donatello marveled at his appearance. He looked like a brain with two eyes and a mouth. He sat upon a floating yellow console with joysticks to control its direction. His smile was honest. His black eyes didn't gleam with evil intent. A voice of true honor rang out from his soul. It reminded him of his older brother.

"Hello. I am Mortu. I was told that you are the one called Donatello," he introduced.

Donatello awkwardly put out his hand.

"Yes, nice to meet you."

Mortu floated closer and took his hand with (what Donatello would guess) his index tentacle.

"We have been observing you and your family for quite some time," Mortu said.

"So I was told," Donatello replied. "But… why?"

"We had to know your intentions," Mortu explained.

Donatello pondered this a moment before asking, "You mean, if we were involved with the foot or not?"

"Yes, it seems we were half right."

"I don't think so."

Mortu moved in closer.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

They might call him crazy like Raphael, but Donatello voiced his theory anyway.

"I don't think Leo's _really_ working for the Shredder. I think he's somehow being control."

To his relief, Mortu took him seriously but what he said in reply sounded even more radical, if it were possible.

"That is a possibility. There are many mind control devices in our galaxy."

"Excuse me but, how would the Shredder get a hold of that kind of technology?" Donatello asked.

Mortu's expression was full of pity for the young turtle's lack of knowledge.

"You are not aware of the Shredder's true identity are you?"

"I thought I did," Donatello said confusedly, scratching his head like an old cliché.

"He is one of our own people, an Utrom."

Donatello stood still for about five minutes, blinked twice and then cried, "The Shredder's an alien?!"

Mortu shut his eyes and nodded, which he had to bend his whole body to do so it was more like a bow.

"What's he doing _here_?" Donatello asked.

"The same reason that we are here, Donatello. It all began hundreds of years ago," Mortu answered. "The Shredder's true identity is Ch'rell, the most feared and ruthless criminal the universe has ever known. After nearly a hundred years of searching we had captured him. We finally had the Utrom responsible for millions of deaths and crimes, but he was craftier than we had expected. We tried to anticipate everything, but that wasn't enough. He broke free as we were transporting him back to our home planet and sabotaged our ship. It directed us into a worm whole as a result. That's how we came to be here. Our ship crashed on Earth and here we've been stranded for over a thousand years."

"Wait. What about the ship I saw earlier?" Donatello asked.

Mortu turned and floated over to the machine.

"Recently we were able to make contact with our people," he explained. "With the help of a new ally, professor Honeycutt, we designed this machine, the Teleportal, to send us home. We gave them our coordinates, but only a small starship was able to make it through. Five of our top scientists and the professor were on board. They were going to assist us. We greatly need the professor's help to finish it."

Mortu gestured towards the blue pad with his tentacles.

"But now…"

"The Shredder has them," Donatello said.

* * *

"This is no good. If the Shredder can escape Earth-" Leonardo said.

"The universe is in grave danger," professor Honeycutt finished.


	4. Chapter 4

Leonardo hung his head back and rested his stiff neck muscles. Professor Honeycutt found a way to deactivate the control from the neck up, so now he was free to make facial expressions during their time together.

"Thanks professor," Leonardo sighed gratefully.

"You're welcome my friend. I just wish I could do more," the professor replied.

"You can only do what you can do professor," Leonardo said as he rolled his head from one shoulder to the other. "Have you made any progress today?"

"Not much, but I managed to spread the word to the others."

"That's good."

The professor nodded and set to work on Leonardo's prison guard device. He typed away on the touch activated buttons while Leonardo grew silent. The professor noticed how depressed he looked. His heart went out to his new friend.

"Tell me more about your family. I wish to know more of this Donatello fellow. He seems like a bright young lad," professor Honeycutt said.

"He is. I think that you two would get along very well," Leonardo replied.

Leonardo's heart raced at the thought of seeing his family again. It seemed so far beyond his reach.

"_How could they ever forgive me?_"

He dropped his head and wiped at the brimming tears. Pulling his arm away he saw the tears on his bare forearm. Then he realized that he was moving his arm! Leonardo whirled around to face the professor. If he could, professor Honeycutt would have smiled broadly.

"There have been some modifications to this device," the professor began. "The Shredder's voice command can not be shut down, even if he was to try it himself. You have full control over your body, unless he gives you an order."

Leonardo smiled as he preformed a back flip.

"Now we can stop delaying and speed things up. We'll execute the plan tomorrow night."

* * *

It had been a week since Donatello's encounter with Leonardo and the guardians. Now he was packing his famous brown duffle bag for the rescue mission. He and his brothers had mutually agreed to help the guardians save the scientists, as did Splinter and Sumi. Donatello also had another plan in mind.

He carefully packed a set of tranquilizing darts. It was the only safe way he could think of apprehending his older brother. All except one was supporting his plan. He had told them what Leonardo had said that night, about asking for help. All but Raphael had listened.

"_He asked me for help. He's a prisoner inside his own head!" Donatello argued._

"_No one can __force__ Leo to do anything!" Raphael barked back._

"_Raphael! Wake up for a minute and actually listen to me! This is really possible!"_

"_NO! IT'S NOT! He would __**kill**__ himself before he let the Shredder get a hold of him!"_

"_Exactly, can't you see past your own hurt to see that?!"_

"_Leo's gone Don. Move on."_

The stubborn turtle was looming in the doorway, glaring at his darts. Donatello could still see the anger and pain inside him. He refused to believe Leonardo would give into mind control.

Since he'd learned to talk, Raphael had always claimed he was the strongest, but (contrary to he own words) he believed Leonardo was. All three of them still believed it. They had watched Leonardo survive severe injuries and serious illnesses over the years. It was in his nature to always be hopeful, and determination was so engrained in his skull that he never gave up on anything. His cool head and strategic mind constantly lead them out of danger. Most of all, at least on the outside, he always remained fearless. That's how he got his nickname after all. It would seem that Raphael meant it to mock him. Underneath the sarcastic surface though, it was really a complement; a secret way to express how much they all admired him. As they grew older, it didn't hold as much admiration and was truly meant for insult on most occasions. Nevertheless, Raphael still held onto that "fearless" image. Leonardo was a pillar of strength and Raphael refused to believe that his "fearless leader" could crumble, even a little.

Donatello sighed and shook his head. Raphael was just as, if not more, stubborn as their older brother.

* * *

Leonardo watched the professor and the other scientists finish the wiring inside the Transmat. Everything was working out perfectly so far. He walked over to the professor and whispered, "Is it set?" Professor Honeycutt whispered a "Yes" back. Leonardo nodded and turned to the Shredder.

"It is ready my lord," Leonardo announced.

"Then what are you waiting for?!" the Shredder snapped as he strode over.

He pulled one of the scientists to his feet and pushed him to the console.

"Put in the coordinates," he ordered.

The utrom underneath the human exterior smirked. He fearfully replied, "Of c-course."

The Shredder turned to his ninja army and made an announcement.

"At last, the time is near. I was marooned on this pitiful mud ball almost a millennia ago, but I have spent my time well. Now I can have my revenge and finally take over the utrom home world, and worlds beyond. Today, I return to the stars and the Shredder will not be stopped!"

"_The Shredder __**WILL**__ be stopped_._ I'll see to that_,_ even if it costs me my life_," Leonardo thought as he moved to put their plan in motion.

He walked quietly to the console where the utrom was typing in the coordinates. When no one was watching, he placed something into Leonardo's hand. Leonardo put it away in his belt and went over to the power conduit. Just as he was inches away from his goal, guardians flooded the place. They busted through the doors, with his brothers in the lead.

"Takahiro!" the Shredder roared. "Destroy them!"

"_No. No! __**NOOO**__!_"

His heart screamed from inside his tortured soul as he darted forward, unsheathing his katanas.

"Leonardo!" professor Honeycutt cried.

He and the utrom scientists could only watch the raging battle, restrained by black gloved hands. The Shredder forced them out of his way as he punched in the coordinates himself.

"Somebody stop him!" Raphael cried.

Splinter jumped up high above the madness and landed on the Shredder's shoulders. He tried to shake Splinter off, but couldn't.

Michelangelo and the guardians moved in and slowly began to herd him away from the controls.

"Leo! Hold on!" Donatello shouted as he prepared to shoot a dart.

Leonardo kicked two guardians back and caught sight of the dart almost too late. He backed up and it missed by a couple of inches. Gravity pushed him backwards even further and forced him into a control panel. His weight and momentum crushed it. A rod from the inside protruded out of the misshapen metal, stabbing his prison guard device. Electrical shocks coursed through him in waves. Blue lightening could be seen crawling down his body. His blood curdling scream rang painfully throughout the room's chaos, stopping everyone in their tracks. Lightening shot out from the back of his neck and struck randomly around the room.

It finally deceased and released him. He staggered a few steps forward when the pain relinquished some of its hold. He winced as something inside of him began to move. His family watched; horrified at what they saw. Something like tentacles were moving underneath his skin. They lashed like a wounded animal. He squeezed his eyes shut as that _something_ began to slip out of him. It looked like a glowing blue pendant that fell off the back of his neck. Attached to it were long metal tentacles with smaller ones branching out from them. It hit the floor with a sickening *_smack_*. The tentacles curled up as the blue glow faded, as if it was dying. It emanated a small electronic whimpering sound and then finally "died". Leonardo's eyes fluttered open, trying to focus on the blurry images in front of him. After a few seconds, Donatello's terrified face came into view.

"D…Donny?" Leonardo rasped out.

"Leo?" Donatello asked, hope and fear soaking his features.

For the first time since this all began, Leonardo smiled. It was barely above faint, but it was his true smile. Without a doubt, Donatello knew he had his brother back.

"What are you doing? Don't just stand there! Attack them!" the Shredder ordered.

Leonardo turned his head slowly. He let out a small, extremely gruff laugh with his tired gravel-like voice. As he turned the rest of his body, he raised his katanas. His smile fell away and an enraged scowl took its place. He screamed a battle cry and attacked his former master.

Michelangelo and Splinter jumped back out of the way as Leonardo tackled the metal demon. He slashed at the armored stomach ferociously, dead set on skewering the alien slime ball inside. His swords pried the abdomen open and revealed the utrom inside. His brothers cringed, disgusted at the sight. He was a darker pink color than the utroms they had recently met. There were scars across his face and his eyes were blood red, thirsting for revenge. The Shredder, now unmasked as Ch'rell, caught Leonardo's sword before it stabbed him. He managed to push the savage turtle off of him and onto the Transmat. He got up and slammed his fist into the console. The white pad of the Transmat was ablaze with a fierce amount of light. It blinded all in the room, stunning them into frozen forms. Leonardo stood up shakily and shielded his eyes as he threw something to the Professor.

"Finish it!" he screamed.

Professor Honeycutt didn't have time to respond. Leonardo was engulfed by the light. Then the light suddenly exploded from Leonardo's body. An unbelievably strong currant of gravity shoved everyone off of their feet. The room echoed with the sound of bodies hitting the floor while the light faded into sparkling dust. Just like that, Leonardo was gone.

"Leo!" Donatello cried. "**LEO!**"

Professor Honeycutt momentarily forgot his grief. Anger consumed him as he looked down at his hands. There lay a small explosive with the power to destroy the entire building, or at least half of it. He dashed across the room and planted it on the power conduit, and then activated it.

"What are you doing?" the Shredder growled as he stood up.

"You have fifty nine seconds to evacuate the building. I suggest you don't waist any time," professor Honeycutt replied.

"Foot ninja, disappear!" the Shredder commanded.

In seconds, the room was rid of them. As the guardians were preparing to leave, Donatello shouted, "Wait, what about Leo?!"

"We will retrieve your brother, but we must get to safety first," professor Honeycutt answered as he rushed towards them.

Donatello and his family were pushed out of the building and into one of the T.C.R.I helicopters. They had just gotten far enough away when the explosion erupted from Foot Headquarters. Smoke and fire spit out from the top like a volcano. Donatello's heart fell and shattered into a million pieces at the bottom of a vast hole, made of anguish burrowed deep inside of him. Then it began to flood with despair and sorrow, drowning him in unbearable grief. He looked to his family and saw it was the same in their eyes. Raphael's had it the worst. Guilt racked his body in fierce quakes. His fists balled up tensely as tears snaked down his face unhindered. A metal hand on his shoulder pulled Donatello away from the sight.

"Your brother is not lost. We will find him," professor Honeycutt assured.

"Where did the Shredder send him?" Donatello asked.

"I do not know."


	5. Chapter 5

With confused half shut eyes, Raphael watched professor Honeycutt explain the Prison Guard Device to Donatello. He couldn't fully understand what was being said, but enough to further the hole of guilt inside him.

"So you see, he was fully aware of what was happening around him," Professor Honeycutt finsihed.

Donatello didn't say anything but a curse under his breath. Seeing the destress and hope draining from his face, professor Honeycutt mentioned, "Leonardo is a very strong. I've never met anyone like him." He must have sensed it in Raphael too, because he looked straight at him and said: "He spoke of you quite often." Raphael raised up from his slump. "Really?" The professor nodded. "Yes, very. He said one of your favorite pass times was… Oh, what did he call it? Wrestling?" A faint smile curled up on Raphael's face. "Yeah... that's the one."

"He told me that you two would reenact the matches from television in your younger days," professor Honeycutt continued.

Raphael leaned back, folding his arms as he recalled, "That's right. One time I accidentally broke his arm."

"Oh my," professor Honeycutt gasped.

"He felt so bad afterwards, he waited on Leo hand and foot," Donatello put in.

"I got on his nerves so bad, he wanted to break my arm," Raphael chuckled softly.

"You all have quite a history." said professor Honeycutt.

Raphael wiped the smile from his face, dawning a seriousness he'd never shown before. "Yeah, I still can't believe he forgave me." Donatello patted his shoulder, and then gripped it firmly. "Hey, that's what family does." Raphael let out a long breath through his nostrils.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

* * *

Meanwhile Michelangelo was wandering through the halls of T.C.R.I. Utroms were floating past him, conversing with one another in their native language. He sighed and looked around desperately for an activity to occupy his time. He couldn't be of any help in the research center. His mind just didn't possess the knowledge to aid the Utrom scientists. For once, neither did Donatello, but he didn't let that stop him. He spent all his time learning the new and complicated sciences of the universe.

His eyes fell upon an open door and his jaw dropped at what he saw. His parents were talking to a 8'6 foot tall alligator wearing a white lab coat and black framed glasses. He gawked in the doorway for five minutes before someone noticed him.

"Michelangelo my son, come and meet our new friend, Leatherhead," Sumi said as she waved him inside.

"Um... nice to meet you," Michelangelo greeted meekly as he approached the alligator.

"The feeling is mutual, Michelangelo," Leatherhead replied as he shook his hand.

Michelangelo returned the gesture as best he could, but found it difficult with his hand swallowed up by his new friend's.

"Leatherhead was just telling us of his life story," Splinter said when the two were fully acquainted.

"Ah yes, where was I?" the alligator pondered for a moment.

Sumi raised a finger and suggested, "Perhaps it would be best to start from the beginning so that Michelangelo is not lost."

"I believe you're right," he replied before clearing his throat.

Michelangelo sat numbly in a computer chain and became fully absorbed in the tale. Leather head began with, "I assume I began life as an exotic pet and for some cruel human reason, was cast into the sewer." After a momentary twinge of past hurt, he smiled and continued. "Fortunately, I was discovered not by humans, but by the Utroms; who deemed me worthy for their observation. During the course of this observation, I was accidentally exposed to a mutagen the Utroms had created. The mutagen not only changed my physical form but greatly accelerated my intellectual development. When the Utroms realized that I had become sentient, they adopted me. I have lived here ever since."

"Wow, you've got a great family here Leatherhead," Michelangelo reflected amazedly.

Leatherhead smiled truely then and replied, "Yes, I am very blessed. Much like you."

Michelangelo nodded and looked to the floor. The affliction on his young face spelled out the sadness and longing for their missing brother. Leatherhead rested a hand gently on his shoulder.

"I am assisting in the search for your brother. He will be found as soon as the Transmat is complete," he assured.

"I know. I just hope we can reach him in time," Michelangelo replied.

"Why do you say such a thing my son?" Splinter asked.

Michelangelo shrugged. "I just have a bad feeling. That's all."

* * *

April opened the door for an exhausted Casey. She kissed his cheek and came outside with two thermoses of coffee.

"One for road," she said as she handed Casey his. He nodded and opened the passanger door of his truck.

As they were driving off April got a strange feeling, like something was happening or about to happen. She looked at Casey and wondered if he felt to, so she asked him. With a somber nod he answered, "Yeah, couldn't shake it all morning." He twisted his mouth up in a frustrated frown, the one he always wore when he was seriously worried about something.

"What if we _do_ find him," Casey started out, the unease settling into his tone. "And he aint all there."

April stared confusedly at him. "What are you talking about?" He shifted in his seat as they came to a red light. As the cars passed his tapped his fingers on the stearing wheel. Eventually he answered, "I'm just saying... the guy went through a lot. Plus, there's no telling what he's going through right now. What's going on in his head? Does he know we still care about him?" Tears welled up in April's eyes. She sucked in a deep breath and looked away, trying to cry.

"All we can do is hope," she said.

When they arrived at T.C.R.I., everyone was worked up and excited. They were hurriedly led to the Transmat. Raphael met them at the door and exclaimed, "It's working! It's working!"

After briefly examining the joyful scene in the room, hope found them again. The blue pad had lit up and maintained a steady glow.

"It is ready for transport," professor Honeycutt announced proudly as he put on a dark grey cloak.

Mortu came in and said: "Good, is the team assembled?" A group of five guardians, Leatherhead and the three banded brothers lined up before him.

"Ready to go chief!" was Raphael's response.

Mortu nodded and motioned for them to move forward. They filed out onto the Transmat and waited as professor Honeycutt typed in the coordinates.

"He has been located somewhere on the Trisuartron home world," the professor said as he joined them on the Transmat. "We'll be teleported as close to his signature as possible."

Mortu tossed him a small blue remote. "Excellent work professor. You all take care and alert us when you're ready to return."

"Yes Sir," he said, holding on to it tightly.

"Good luck my sons," Splinter farewelled.

"Thanks Sensei and don't worry. We'll find him," Donatello replied.

Sumi warned worriedly, "Be careful."

"You got it Ma," Raphael promised.

Then the room was illuminated even more by the intensity of the brightening light. One great flash then erupted from the pad and they were gone.

"I hope they will be alright," Sumi whispered.

Splinter put his arm around her shoulders saying, "They will be."

* * *

When the light faded from thier eyes, everyone marvled at the sudden changed of scenery.

"Whoa!" Michelangelo gasped.

"My friends, welcome to the Trisuartron Home World," professor Honeycutt announced.

Donatello was first to step forward. He gaped at the strange new world. There any sky to look up at on this planet. A gigantic dome protected them from outer space.

The locals resembled triceratops from earth's early beginnings. They were humanoid dinosaurs, walking on two legs and having hands with three fingers.

"Euleu namysur ka!" one grunted as he pushed Donatello out of his way.

Raphael kept him from falling back and yelled, "Hey! Watch it dino-boy!"

The alien turned his head in their direction and sneered.

"Eulymnana quallo teho tropova." He growled before spitting in their direction.

Raphael shoved Donatello to his feet, his temper boiling dangerously hot.

"What did you say?" Raphael demanded, cracking his knuckles.

Michelangelo grabbed him by the shoulders and reminded him what they were there for. "Calm down Raph! We're looking for Leo remember?" Raphael sighed turned away. "Yeah, where should we start?"

"Uh, guys…" Donatello trailed off as he pointed up.

Everyone looked to a large screen floating above them. Raphael almost fell over. There was their brother, Leonardo. From his new appearance, he had change a great deal. It was hard to believe the sight in front of him was actually him. He had grown much taller and was bursting with enormous muscles. Standing tall, he still carried two swords but they weren't his katanas. They had worn hilts of brown leather. Both were slightly glowing with a silver gleam. There were curling hooks splitting outward a few inches beneath the tips. They weren't the only new items that he was dawning. His mask was gone and he now wore leather wrist bands that covered nearly half of his forearms. A dark brown leather belt matched them along with a pair of thick boots, resembling mukluks, protecting his feet. They looked like they had years of wear and tear, and so did Leonardo. His body was brutally bruised and scarred.

Raphael watched in disbelief. "Leo?"

"Oh my… He's a Gladiator." Professor Honeycutt gasped.

All three brothers whipped their heads towards him.

"A what?" Michelangelo asked.

"On this planet, they make their prisoners compete against each other in what they call, 'the games'," a guardian named Guthrie answered.

"A fight to the death," another called Knute elaborated.

"How did Leo end up there?" Michelangelo asked.

Raphael put up his sais.

"Who cares how he got there! Let's get him out!" he shouted

Leatherhead put his hand up and whispered, "Raphael, lower your voice."

Raphael looked around and noticed that he was gathering attention. He growled and put his weapons up.

"So how do we get him out?" he asked in a lower tone.

"We either pay his fine or break him out," Guthrie answered.

"How much do you think is fine is?" Donatello asked.

Professor Honeycutt shook his head and put a hand on his shoulder. "I too wish to resolve this without the necessity of violence but..."

"But what?" Donatello asked.

"Well, you see that score board in the arena?" the professor asked.

Donatello had vaguely noticed it before. "Yeah."

"Your brother is at the top," professor Honeycutt pointed out.

"So what does that mean?" Michelangelo asked.

"You see, tradition dictates that the felon's bail rises the higher his ranking is," professor Honeycutt explained.

"And your brother's got the number one spot," Knute sighed.

"His bail is 250,000,000 aronas," professor Honeycutt said.

Donatello meekly asked, "That's a lot, isn't it?"

"You could buy three Federation Fleets with that kind of cash," Guthrie answered.

Raphael folded his arms and scoffed half heartedly "Figures he still has to be Mr. Perfect, even here." Donatello folded his arms too. "Looks like we're going with option number two."

The lead guardian, Isidore, said: "It won't be easy, especially here."

"Trisuartrons take crime very seriously and "the games" even more. They don't like to loose Gladiators unless it's by another Gladiator," Guthrie added.

"You guys ready for this?" Isidore asked.

"You think we're going to let our bro rot in jail? No way!" Raphael replied.

Donatello agreed. "We're ready for anything if it means getting Leo back."

"Alright, let's get started." Isidore replied.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**Here's another chapter! Yeah!**

Raphael watched his Gladiator Brother enter the arena from his seat. He, his Brothers and Professor Honeycutt had bought tickets to observe security. The others were infiltrating the inside.

Leonardo looked over the spectators, eyes narrowing.

"He's looking for someone." Raphael whispered.

"For who?" Michelangelo asked.

"No clue." He answered.

Leonardo's attention was drawn to his opponents entering the opposite side of the arena. Most were Triceratons but there were a few foreign aliens present. One was completely covered in long grayish brown fur and had long, dark green claws. He was around 9'2 and wore nothing but very little protective padding. Another was his polar opposite. He was 3'5 and had no hair or fur to speak of. His eyes were large and red. They were the largest feature on his face. He was very slim but not without muscle. He was no wimp but looked as though he could be easily overcome. The third to stand out of the Triceraton crowd was a rather beautiful alien. Her skin was a very light, soft blue color in contrast with her biloba purple hair. It was in long, thick tentacle-like dreadlocks. Her eyes were an extremely ravishing, deep blue with bright violet ringing around the pupils; clear and eye catching as well polished jewels. She had no nose but a small, protruding bulge with nostrils lay below her eyes. Her face was almost fairy-like. It was paler than the rest of her body and glittered a little in the light. Her figure was attractive but not so entirely feminine. She was well toned and the experience of battle showed in her every movement. Her hands were elegant and fingers slender with long white nails. Her feet were large and resembled a Fukuiraptor's. She also had a tail to match. It swished back and forth gracefully. It was half the length she was, standing at 5'6. She was clothed in a worn black robe and carried a handmade sling for a weapon. In a leather bag, hanging off of her belt, were black iron orbs for ammunition.

Swords drawn, he studied them. It was the only recognizable attribute that survived Leonardo's new persona.

The speakers overhead blared loudly with the voice of the announcer. His Trisaurtron speech thick and heavy with accented excitement. Leonardo did a traditional bow before his opponents. None returned the gesture. He then took a defensive stance and waited, calculating each move before it was made. They all charged in a crazed frenzy. The short alien with red eyes actually foamed at the mouth.

"They're all totally berserk." Michelangelo said worriedly.

"I'm afraid that is an almost inevitable trait most pick up when forced into the games." Professor Honeycutt sighed.

"Leo seems okay, for the most part." Donatello commented.

"Indeed." Professor Honeycutt agreed.

Leonardo dodge a swift swipe at the throat and kick his clawed attacker into the next. Then lasers beams shot by his head. He whirled around and blocked more with his swords. The short, red eyed alien shot beams out of his eyes. Leonardo redirected them with his swords. They bounced off and pelted other Gladiators. The alien shrieked angrily and shot a steady beam full blast. Leonardo's swords heated up and burned red hot. Random beam flew around him. Flames burst into life and crawled up the blades. He remained strong and moved slowly forwards. The alien screamed even louder when Leonardo approached him. Leonardo released his own battle cry as he slashed out at him. Raphael and the others grimaced as the alien fell, holding his eyes.

As soon as he turned around, Gladiators encircled him. He held up his blazing blades and continued to fight.

"I can't stand this. Someone's got to help him." Raphael growled lowly.

"Sit tight Raph, we'll get him out of here." Donatello comforted.

"Hey, check it out guys." Michelangelo pointed out.

They looked down and were shocked to see the fellow female Gladiator assisting him. She dashed up to him, stopping just inches in front of him. Then she quickly spun around him and slung three orbs out at three other Gladiators. Each orb lodge itself exactly in the targeted areas. They all fell, crying out in agony. She leaned against Leonardo; Back to back. They defended each other in this way against the remaining Gladiators.

Leonardo blocked another swipe, then hooked his swords into the hamstrings of the furred giant. His eyes looked panicked and begged Leonardo not to continue, but he looked away and sliced through them. He raised his head and released an echoing scream that aroused the crowd. They all stood up and cheered as he fell. The announcer laughed and made a surely sickening joke.

Raphael stood on top of his seat to see over the Triceraton in front of him. To all who didn't know him, his face was emotionless. To the Professor and his Brothers, guilt and pity traced his features.

"Hardcore." Michelangelo said with a dry swallow as the crowd calmed down.

"Have to be here." Raphael replied.

The fight continued until Leonardo and the female Gladiator were the last standing. The crowd again became fierce, shouting and spitting curses down into the blood stained arena.

"What's going on?" Michelangelo asked.

"It's time to finish." Professor Honeycutt answered.

"Time to finish?" Donatello repeated curiously.

The Professor didn't elaborate. He simply looked on. The Brothers looked worriedly back down at their Brother. Slowly, Leonardo turned to face the female Gladiator and she fallowed shortly after. They looked at each other and shook hands in good terms. Then they put their weapons away and fought in hand to hand combat.

"There can only be one victor." Professor Honeycutt said.

"Wait, didn't you say they fight to the death?" Michelangelo asked.

"Yes, they usually do." Professor Honeycutt replied.

"_Usually_?" Raphael asked.

"The Gladiators have a choice not to kill, but they pay a price for it." Professor Honeycutt explained.

"What price?" Donatello asked.

"No one really knows what happens behind those doors, but they say that the problem is 'rectified'." Professor Honeycutt replied.

"Apparently Leo couldn't be 'rectified'." Raphael said, "He may have left em' hurtin' pretty bad but their still kicking down there."

Donatello nodded, noticing the groaning felons scattered on the filthy arena floor. A long silence spread across the Brothers as they watched the remaining Gladiators circle each other.

Leonardo and the female Gladiator nodded once at each other before striking out. Her fists shot forth rapidly at Leonardo. He block most of the blows and landed a few of his own. Hesitation was apparent in their movements. Their faces looked forever regretful when each attack wounded the other.

Leonardo wrapped his arm around her neck and put her in a painful headlock, depriving her of air. He whispered something to her before she passed out. He let her slip from his grasp and fall to the ground. He stood up and backed a few steps away, searching the crowd once more.

Raphael watched his eyes intently. When they finally stopped, a small, sad smile flashed for a moment. Then it was gone. Raphael fallowed his eyes. They lead him to woman with green skin in a dark brown cloak. Long black locks fell out of the hood. She clasped her hands together tightly over her chest, her rapid breath showing underneath it. A tall Trisaurtron next to her put his arm around her shoulders and looked genuinely sympathetic down towards Leonardo.

His eyes never left them, even as he was dragged out of the arena. He was shoved behind huge metal doors that were slammed in his face.

Raphael got up and moved towards the woman.

"Raph! What are you going?" Donatello asked.

He didn't have time to explain. They struggled in the thick crowd to fallow. He eventually caught up with them and tapped her shoulder.

"Hey Lady!" He shouted over the noisy crowd.

She turned around and clutched her cloak tightly. She didn't speak, or at least he didn't hear it if she did. The Triceraton, however, had something to say.

"Get your hand off her!" He said as he pushed him.

Raphael fell into Michelangelo and the two stumbled backwards. As the Professor helped them up, Donatello took out his Bo and approached the rude alien.

"Hey! What was that for?" Donatello shouted.

"Tell you friend to stay away from us!" the Triceraton replied angrily.

"Wait Traximus!" the Woman halts.

"But Sofonisba, he-" Traximus began.

"Look at them. How many of _our_ kind have you seen?" She asked.

He looked at Raphael as if he had really seen him for the first time.

"I-I…" He stuttered.

"Forgive my friend. He is very overprotective." Sofonisba apologized.

"It's okay. I just wanted to talk to ya." Raphael said as he approached her again.

"What about?" She asked.

"Do you know that Gladiator? The big green one." He specified.

"Takahiro?" She asked, "Everyone knows him."

"I meant on a personal level. He's our Bro. What's he to you?" Raphael asked.

Sofonisba and Traximus stared in shock. Raphael and the others were also shocked. Leonardo had kept the name given to him by the Shedder.

"An' his name aint Takahiro. It's Leo." Raphael corrected.

"I don't believe it." She gasped.

"Come." Traximus said as he pulled Raphael off to the side. "Let us find a more private place to discus this."

"Alright, lead the way." He replied.

~o~O~o~

They fallowed Traximus and Sofonisba to a door back behind the arena. Traximus knocked on the thick metal door hard. The sound echoed throughout the small, narrow alley. A tiny sliding door opened near the top and yellow, bitty eyes stared down at them.

"Visiting?" a rough voice asked behind the door.

Traximus nodded and the door slid closed. Then the door swung open.

"Get in then." the voice barked.

They all rushed inside and found it darker inside. When the door slammed shut, the light fell down from the ceiling. The dim lighting provided them with the identity of the Door Man. He looked and dressed of death. A long black robe with thin raggedy ropes holding it against his body; which was skinny as a rail. His skin was dark grey and his face resembled a skeleton with green and yellow fangs for teeth.

"They just put em' in the back." the Door Man said as he pointed down the filthy hall.

Traximus nodded again and they walked down a series of cold metal passages. Along the way they saw other Gladiators in their cells. Half of them were gravely injured or worse. Some moaned and reached for them as they passed by. Michelangelo jumped behind Traximus and held onto his belt. Traximus looked behind and sighed, but let him hold on.

"Takahiro." Sofonisba said softly as they drew near to Leonardo's cell.

Leonardo had his back turned to them when they first arrived, but after hearing Sofonisba's voice, he turned around immediately.

"Sofy, actis emum cah." Leonardo replied in an extremely gruff, deep voice.

He walked up to the bars and cupped her face in his hands. She closed her eyes and put her hands over his, crying quietly.

"Ilbis sparosya loucosis yuha ugoval, rewjo axanyah." She said as she gingerly rubbed his arms.

Then he looked to Traximus and the others and raised an eye ridge.

"Parevica?" He asked.

"Ebicon dalinis gogile… Brothers." Traximus answered.

"Bro-thers?" Leonardo replied, sounding out the word.

Traximus nodded and they watched as more confusion filled Leonardo's face.

"Leo, we missed you Bro." Michelangelo said as he stepped towards him.

"Jochan?" Leonardo asked as he looked to Sofonisba.

"Jochan." She repeated.

"Leo, don't you remember us?" Donatello asked.

"Takahiro doesn't remember his past." Sofonisba explained.

"What?" all three Brothers asked.

"Nothing at all?" Professor Honeycutt asked.

"No, he arrived here three years ago without any memory of himself or his planet of origin." Sofonisba answered.

"So how'd he end up in prison?" Donatello asked.

"It is against Triceraton law to travel to the home world without a proper permission passport." Traximus explained.

"He was arrested and put in a general population prison." Sofonisba added.

"He unknowingly got into a dispute with another prisoner and had a fight." Traximus said with a sad sigh. "The prison guards saw his skill and were impressed."

"So they tested him in "the games"?" Professor Honeycutt asked.

"Yes. He survived his first week and became a sensation, even though he would never finished off his opponents. He even amused the Emperor and it was decided that he would remain a Gladiator. And here he has remained for three years." Traximus explained.

"He won't for much longer." Raphael said.

"What do you mean?" Sofonisba asked.

"We're bustin' him outta here." He answered.

"How?" Traximus asked.

"Still working on that part." Donatello replied.

"Why did you not come before then? If you truly are his Brothers, why now?" Sofonisba asked harshly.

"Hey! You don't know what you're talking about lady." Raphael replied just as harshly while pointing a finger in her face. "If you guys are so close, why haven't you tried to get em' out?"

"You think we haven't?" Sofonisba shouted.

"Bolycova ethor ka crunpho!" Leonardo yelled as he grabbed Raphael by the throat.

Raphael choked out small cries of pain as he was risen off the ground.

"Leo! What are you doing?" Michelangelo cried.

"Gallonur! Gallonur! Eulea afris!" Sofonisba shouted as she pulled on Leonardo's arm.

Leonardo dropped him to the ground and spat, "Juditrya."

"What the shell…" Raphael gasped.

"He thought you was going to attack me." Sofonisba explained.

"Why would I do that?" Raphael asked hoarsely.

"You must forgive him. All this time in "the games" has made him very distrusting of others." Traximus said.

"Why doesn't Leo explain it? Why are you guys doin' all the talking for him?" Raphael demanded.

"He doesn't speak English." Sofonisba answered.

"What? It's his native tongue!" Donatello gasped.

"Ursunnia cathroh glunisya?" Sofonisba asked Leonardo.

"Tirennor Ursunnia corbis tev kona. Crason itatrul namysur kah." Leonardo answered.

"He says he knew your language at one time, but forgotten it because it became useless." Sofonisba translated.

"Euliso cabikah kona karjo." Leonardo continued.

"He says, 'Anything useless must be left behind in here.'" She interpreted.

All grew quiet for a long while. Raphael looked up at his Brother, really noticing for the first time how much he had change. He was 7'1. Leonardo could now look down on their friend Casey and with his new physique, he could be an even match for Hun. Maybe even stronger actually. Raphael had no idea they could even grow to be that tall. Donatello said they had reached their peeks as far as growing in length. Leonardo had always been the tallest, but now he was ridiculously more so.

What changed in his eyes is what shocked Raphael the most. They had grown darker, deprived of love. His optimistic, hopeful eyes had grown cold and wary. He use to look for the best in people, now he just looked out for them. Trust is a fragile thing. Inside Leonardo, it had been broken into several pieces. It would be hard putting them back together again.

Leonardo's faith in others was not the only thing in need of healing. His body was in desperate need of it. His bloody arms were poorly bandaged and a deep sore on his left shoulder looked like it was in serious danger of infection. There were purplish red burns on his legs. They were long and wrapped around like snakes constricting him. More lashes were scattered all over him.

Raphael reached in the cell and touched his Brother's arm. Leonardo jerked back but Raphael gripped his hand tightly. Leonardo looked down at him confusedly.

"I'm sorry." Raphael said, barely above a whisper.

Leonardo's face softened, but did not loose the confused expression. His eyes trailed down to their hands. He looked at them for the longest, seeming to be struggling with something. Finally he looked back to Raphael and smiled slightly.

"Br-oth-er." He said slowly.

Then he wrapped his other hand over Raphael's and shook it once firmly.

"Brother." He said more clearly, but heavily accented.

"That's right." Raphael smiled, but then frowned sadly. "I'm sorry Brother. I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most, but I'm here now and I'm not leaving without ya."

Leonardo grunted with a nod and looked to Donatello and Michelangelo.

"Brothers." He said as he reached out and took their hands.

He joined them together and smiled broadly. Then he looked to Sofonisba and said: "Kopcha nuwi feibola."

"He says, 'This is familiar.'" She smiled.

"One step closer to getting Leo back." Donatello sighed relieved.

"We still got a lot farther to go." Raphael reminded him. "Professor, contact the others and tell em' we know where their keeping Leo. Then we'll meet them somewhere and decide what to do from there."

"Right away!" Professor Honeycutt replied.

"There are more of you?" Traximus asked.

"We've got a lot of friends." Michelangelo replied.

"Yeah, good friends." Donatello added.

Donatello turned to Leonardo and smiled.

"Don't worry Leo. You won't be here much longer."

**A/N**

**Oops! I spelled Triceratonwronge! How come nobody said anything huh? ^^**

**Reviews Please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright! I finally finished chapter seven! Please share in my enthusiasm by reading this new chapter. Thanks for sticking with me!**

~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o

They took Sofonisba and Traximus with them to meet the others. Everyone met up in a small, old Inn. The lobby was also the bar. Everything was chrome, painted with shiny orange and dark green. The tables levitated above stools that were bolted to the floor.

The Inn Keeper watched them as they sat down while drying a shot glass with a dish towel. Someone came to take their order. They only asked for a few glasses of water and a mug of D'Hoonibian ale. The Inn Keeper suspicions grew the more he watched them, talking in whispers.

"Leonardo's physiology has changed significantly, more than expected. He cannot simply be teleported back. We'll need to attach this homing beacon to him." explained the Guardian, Elliot, quietly as he put the device in the center of the table.

Donatello admired the excellent craftsmanship. It was oval and sleek. The blue metal gleamed under the light of the hovering crystal lantern above them. He reached across the table and brought it closer to his eyes for examination. After flipping it over, he saw the underside was flat and had six thin, tiny metal needle-like claws that popped out and could retract back inside.

"You expected his physiology to change?" Donatello asked, recovering from his fascination.

"Leonardo may have only been sent here a short time ago from Earth, but the passing of time differs in each galaxy. We expected as much but could not calculate an exact time span. Our estimate ranged from three weeks to ten years. Luckily, it was much shorter than the latter." said Professor Honeycutt.

"So that was the cause of your delay." Sofonisba said as she looked to Raphael.

Raphael popped his knuckles underneath the table. He didn't like being blamed for something that wasn't his fault. Self blame and guilt was already weighing heavy on his shoulders. The added load would've broken him if he wasn't so infuriated.

"Yeah, what's your excuse?" Raphael asked bitterly.

She removed her hood and shocked them all. Underneath was the face of female turtle. Long, silky black hair fell down in thick, curling locks around her celadon green face, ending at her elbows. Her eyes glimmered with orange brilliance, like two setting Suns burning brightly through the dark depression inside her heart. Hope etched the outlines of her tired expression. The look on her face was enough to make Raphael instantly regret what he said.

"I am but one person Raphael, and a female. In many galaxies females have no rights or freedom. The only reason I am able to visit your Brother is because we are legally married under Triceraton law." said Sofonisba, looking as if the life had been drained out of her.

"What?" all three Brothers nearly shouted as they rose from their seats.

They looked around briefly at the staring eyes they had caught the attention of and sat back down.

"You guys are married?" Donatello asked.

"When two persons procreate, they are immediately married by a local magistrate as the law requires." Sofonisba explained as she placed a hand on her stomach.

Raphael and Donatello grew wide eyed as Michelangelo looked on with further confusion.

"What does that mean?" asked Michelangelo innocently.

"When did you guys have time for _that_?" Donatello asked embarrassedly, ignoring Michelangelo's question.

"I was a slave when I came to this planet." She began, "I was sold to the Emperor who had no interest for me, so he made me the prize for a competition he designed for the Gladiators. His hopes were to arouse fiercer battling from them by offering a personal concubine to the winner."

"So Leo won you?" Raphael asked, not liking the way this story was going.

"Yes, but he did not use me as I first thought he would. He was different." She smiled.

"So that's how you two met?" Donatello asked and Raphael shot him a look that said: "Duh."

He sank back in his seat, but no one else seemed to care about his stupid question.

"Yes. They put me in his cell for three hours each day. For the first few weeks, he said nothing and did nothing to me." She answered.

"So what changed?" Donatello asked.

"One day, five months later, I went into his cell and he was severely injured. I asked the guards to go and get the medical examiner, but they told me he had already seen to his needs. He was poorly cared for. I did what I could for him; what little he allowed me to do. Eventually, a conversation was struck up as I was tending to his wounds. Normally he'd only offered me a few words here and there until that point. That day he told me what he knew of his past and I told him mine. After this we began talking during our time together. Then we fell in love."

Sofonisba smiled fondly thinking of the memory. Then sadness and regret replaced her smile as she went on.

"It wasn't much longer after that we expressed that love to each other. We were married in the prison three weeks after I became pregnant. Then I was promptly released and made a legal citizen." She said sadly.

"Whoa." was Michelangelo's almost breathless response.

"So Leo's gonna be a Father?" Raphael asked.

Sofonisba nodded.

"This isn't good, how are we going to get the both er, the three of you back home?" Donatello asked.

"We have homing beacons to spare." answered Leatherhead, holding up two more of the small machines.

"You guys think of everything." Michelangelo said happily.

"All we need is to get one of these on Leo." Donatello smiled.

"When's the next time you're allowed to see Leo?" Raphael asked Sofonisba.

"Next month." She replied.

"We can't wait that long." Raphael said lowly.

"What do we do?" Michelangelo asked.

"Security's too tight inside. The only way in is through chains." Elliot said.

"Then that's how I'm getting in." Raphael replied.

"That's dangerous business Raphael. I don't think you fully understand what you're getting into." Traximus said warningly.

"I understand just fine. Leo's in that hell hole and I'm going to get him out." Raphael said resolutely.

Traximus smiled with admiration at Raphael's loyalty and determination. Then he laid a hand on his shoulder and said: "Then I will join you. I know more of the things that go on in that place and can guide you when need be."

"Then it's settled." Raphael replied.

"Wait Raph, there must be another way." worried Donatello.

"Then what is it?" Raphael asked.

"At least let me tab along too." Donatello said stubbornly.

Raphael smiled and shook his head. "No Donny. I can't let you do that."

"Who do you think you are to tell me no?" Donatello asked with a small smirk. "Leo?"

"Hey! I'm not getting left behind." Michelangelo put in.

"Oh no Mikey," Raphael said, "Not you too."

"We're a team Raph." Michelangelo stated simply.

There was nothing Raphael could say to that. It's exactly what Leonardo use to say when ever Raphael wanted to "go it alone". He could see the same determination in both his brothers' eyes and appreciated it deeply.

"Okay then, let's get started." Raphael smiled.

~o*o~0~o*o~

Leonardo sat alone in his cell, listening to the raving crowd in the arena above him. They were all waiting for the brawl to begin as he prepared. A few minutes ago he was given his swords and aloud to sharpen them. He was finished just in time. They came and got him and lead him to the arena. The instant the light hit his eyes he looked for his love, his wife. He found her as he walked into the center the battle grounds. She waved at him and he nodded. The only thing that could tare him from her was a familiar hand on his shoulder. Leonardo turned and gasped at his old friend and ex Gladiator.

"Traximus," Leonardo gaped.

Traximus smiled as Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo joined them Leonardo frowned worriedly at his three younger brothers.

"Brothers," He said with a scolding look.

"Relax Leo. We won't be here much longer." Raphael said as he put the homing beacon on his arm.

The device's tiny metal teeth sunk into Leonardo's skin and pinched his muscles slightly. It made Michelangelo cringe slightly, but to Leonardo's callused skin it felt like a bug bit.

"Gorfia tendamor ka?" Leonardo asked Traximus.

"Thylemick kor blimwa." Traximus answered.

"Lyra kumakronic tangac?" Leonardo said with a hopeful face.

"He says if you have any left, he'd like to take his friend Lyra. She has saved him many times in the Games." Traximus translated.

"It just so happens we have one more." Donatello smiled.

"Does he mean the purple chick from the last fight?" Michelangelo asked.

"Yes, that is Lyra. She is the most feared Koreglunk in the galaxy." Traximus explained as he pointed to the female Gladiator. "She was captured by her enemies and imprisoned here; the tightest prison there is, if you exclude the ones on the Utrom home world."

"Well you tell Leo that if he can get this on her then we're good to go." Raphael said as he placed the small device in Leonardo's hand.

Donatello scanned the arena for the Professor and the Guardians as Traximus explained the homing beacon to Leonardo. Professor Honeycutt and the others were sitting with Sofonisba.

"Is she ready?" Donatello asked.

"Yes, what about you?" came in Professor Honeycutt's voice.

Donatello adjusted the disk-like microphone clinging to the roof of his mouth with his tongue. Then he said: "Almost. We still have to attach one to Lyra."

"Okay, but please refrain from making that awful sound again. I'm sorry my friend but even without stomach to churn, it disgusts me." Professor Honeycutt replied.

Michelangelo laughed as he scratched at the speakers inserted underneath his skin near the ears.

"Shut it, will ya Mikey? I can't hear myself think." Raphael complained as he scratched at his as well.

Michelangelo rolled his eyes and shook head before the excitement began. The announcer's voice filled the arena with a vicious tone.

The other Gladiators filled the arena slowly as Leonardo made his way over to Lyra. She eyed him, then the crowd. When he was close enough, she whispered something to him about appearances. He assured her that there was a good reason for his approaching so without the proper caution usually taken. Leonardo gave her the device and quickly explained the situation. Her eyes gleamed with hope and joy and she didn't even hesitate putting on the homing beacon after hearing her old friend out. Before he left her, he told her to protect the device with her life. She promised and then he went back to his brothers.

Donatello smiled as Leonardo gave him a nod, signaling that everyone was ready.

"We're all set Professor." Donatello whispered.

"I'm sorry Donatello, there seems to be a problem." Professor Honeycutt replied.

"Of course there is. What is it?" Raphael asked.

"We're having trouble making contact with Mortu." Professor Honeycutt explained as he opened up the remote Mortu gave him. "We've lost our connection to earth. We need time to adjust the frequency."

"Do your best Professor, we'll buy all the time you need." Raphael replied as he took out his Sais.

"Be careful my friends." The Professor said.

Traximus looked to Leonardo and relayed all that was just said. He nodded his understanding and promised to look after his brothers.

Secretly, Raphael was a little glad. His fists were itching for the fight and he would be along side his big brother again. The four of them reunited for the fight of their lives, but little did he know that the biggest brawl wasn't in the arena.

~o*o~0~o*o~

Sumi twisted out of the way of two on coming Foot Ninja. She turned around and smacked them both in the head with a kick. They weren't he first to fall feet. The night had been long and the number of wounded was longer. Good thing for them that most of the wounded lay on the Shredder's filthy hands, but where was the blood thirsty warlord? His army sent in his stead? That wasn't like him at all.

She picked up a long metal rod and used it for a weapon. The others she saw were fairing well against the black army. Slowly she made her way over to her husband.

"We have to hold them off until they return!" She shouted.

"I've lost their signatures!" cried an Utrom scientist.

Sumi's heart broke on the spot. What did he mean he'd lost them?

"Find them!" She screamed.

She didn't have to tell him, but it seemed to motivate him to work faster. She stood in front of him and stopped the flock kunai flying at him with her rod. She gathered the fallen knives from the floor and threw them back at the enemy. Every one hit directly where she'd meant them to. Fourteen ninja fell as a result.

Splinter watched her from the corner of his eyes with worry. She was never this fierce unless her children were in danger. He wondered if she would stop herself before she went too far.

~o*o~0~o*o~

"Get your dirty paws off my brother!" Raphael shouted as he pounced on a Triceraton Gladiator.

They fell to the ground and grappled away from the injured Michelangelo. Donatello and Leonardo ran to his side and saw it was only a small sprain of the wrist, but that would cost him one nun-chuck in his defense. Leonardo spat out a string of angry words and went to assist Raphael in avenging their brother.

He pushed Raphael off and picked up the Gladiator by the neck. Raphael was stunned by the strength of his older brother. This Gladiator must have weighed two hundred or more pounds, but there Leonardo was, holding him up like he was a piñata. Raphael could tell the words flowing from his older brother's mouth were venomous death threats. Neither did Raphael need to see his face to know there was a dangerous look in Leonardo's eyes.

Leonardo took a hand grenade from the Gladiators belt. It was the strangest grenade Raphael had ever seen. It was metallic orange with little green balls all over dangling off of it. Leonardo pulled the ring on the top and there was a cord attached to it. It was like a pull string like you find in dolls. He used it to tie the mini bomb around the Gladiators arms and did this over again with all the other grenades. Raphael wondered why they were going off immediately. The Gladiator screamed out angrily and struggled against Leonardo, but he had the Gladiator in a death grip. When he was finished, Leonardo raised the screaming Triceraton up above his head. Then Leonardo threw him like he was an empty barrel. He flew about twenty feet. When he landed, a series of small explosions went off. Raphael's mouth went dry as he realized what just happened. He looked at Leonardo and saw a cold darkness he had never seen in his older brother before. It scared him.

His attention went back to the moaning Gladiator lying on the ground. He was alive, but severely injured. It didn't look like this Triceraton would be hurting anyone else for a long time.

Leonardo took out his swords and blocked a surprise attack from hurting Raphael. The shock of seeing his older brother that way distracted him from the battle. Leonardo fought off the next Gladiator as Raphael picked up his Sais from the ground. He looked back to check on Michelangelo. He was doing okay with Donatello covering his left side, the side his sprained wrist couldn't protect.

His eyes scanned for Traximus. He was by Lyra's side. Everyone was fine for the moment. Now they just needed to keep this up long enough for-.

"We've made a connection!"

The Professor's voice never sounded as sweet as it did just now. It would only be a matter of seconds before they were safe and sound in the Utrom's lab.

~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o~0~o*o

**Oh no! What's going to happen next? ***_**snickers at your suspense**_*** Tell ya later! He he he. ^^**


	8. Chapter 8

The arena spun around, slowly disintegrated away from his eyes. Leonardo reached for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. Soon everything around him was speeding by at such a rate he barely realized what happened. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a laboratory. He could see the blurred figures of those around him fighting, but he couldn't hear a thing. Then his senses came back to him like a charge of electricity. It jolted him back to reality. He immediately took out his swords while looking for his wife. She appeared behind him suddenly gripping his shell tightly.

"Leonardo!"

Splinter rushed towards them but stopped when he saw Leonardo. Instantly, he could tell something had changed. He moved forward, reaching out to touch his long lost son, but Leonardo put up his swords defensively, a growl deep in his throat threatening the old rat he didn't recognize. A wounded look flashed in Splinter's eyes along with shock. His son looked almost like a wild animal. Raphael ran out in front of Splinter and spread his arms out protectively.

"No, Leo!" Raphael cried.

Without hesitation, Leonardo lowered his guard. His complete trust in Raphael, instead of Splinter, affected the rat greatly. Something had changed in his son, not just his appearance.

Lyra shot out in front of Leonardo and blocked a kunai from hitting him with her bare arm. Green blood oozed out around the black ninja weapon.

"Wake up you guys!" She shouted.

Her voice caught everyone but Leonardo, Traximus and Sofonisba by surprise. They'd never heard her speak before. Even more surprising, she had spoken in English.

Michelangelo looked over to Donatello who seemed completely enchanted with the voice. His eyes were dazzled and his mouth hung slightly ajar. A small smirk rose up on Michelangelo's face as he jabbed his dazed brother with an elbow.

"You heard the lady," Michelangelo said.

Donatello nodded in response and held up his Bo Staff. Leonardo took in the scene for the first time. Obliviously, he gathered, they were in danger of the black warriors. He recognized the Utroms, knowing that they were a peaceful race. They must be on the right side of what ever it is that's going on. Sumi and other humans, attire matching the ones who'd helped him, were assisting the small aliens. With his enemies decided, he turned back to his wife and gave her one of his swords for protection. She grasped it tightly as Traximus moved next to her. Nothing needed to be said. Leonardo knew his old friend would protect her, without regard to his own life. After they nodded to each other, Leonardo charged forward with an intense roar, shattering the confidence of the black ninja. His sword slashed through the first, the hook ripping organs and tearing muscles. They fell out of the ninja's body as he hit the ground. Leonardo had moved so fast, the ninja didn't even have time to scream or shout. He was dead before even being able to register what happened.

Splinter cringed at the cold blood in his son. What darkness had dawned in him? Leonardo never took life with such an indifferent attitude. Splinter looked over to Sumi. She had the same look on her face. Her child was still lost to her. She hadn't really gained her son back at all.

Leonardo gathered a long black cord from the floor and lashed it out. It wrapped around five ninja. Leonardo sped out and secured a tight knot so they couldn't escape. Then he picked up the ninja and chucked them into a cracked open power conduit. Electricity swallowed them up, burning them to a crisp. The remaining Foot Ninja were few, too few. Leonardo would've finished them quickly, but they fled, realizing that their inferior skill was no match for this savage, cold killer turtle. Guardians chased them down and captured every one of them. Leonardo turned and walked back to his wife, standing behind her body guard. Tears choked her cries of relief and gratitude as she fell into his arms. Some of the tension in Leonardo's body melted away as he held Sofonisba's shaking form. Relief was present in his voice as he comforted her.

The room was silent, only for a minute. Everyone there had to stop and take in what just happened. Once Sofonisba's cries quieted down, everyone reanimated. Mortu was first, ordering into his communicator. Raphael heard the orders. A medical team was on the way. He looked over to his mother, who was shaking violently but silently with sobs. Bitter sweet tears for the return of her son. Raphael went over and pulled her into a hug. Splinter walked over and kissed her cheek, rubbing her back slowly.

Donatello looked over and saw Lyra pull the kunai out of her arm. She tossed it to the ground like a splinter. It would be a small discomfort to _her_, Leonardo too. Maybe even Traximus also, but why care at the moment? Donatello's first train of thought included damage control. What was broken and how could he fix it? One look at his mother and he knew. The connection between Leonardo and his family had to be repaired. Right now, he didn't even know his own parents. It would take a while, with the language barrier in the way. Donatello already started gauging which would take less time, him learning the Triceraton language or Leonardo learning English.

~o*o~0~o*o~

Michelangelo held a pack of ice on his wrist, sitting on the medical wing's hallway. Leonardo was among the first to be looked at. A small infection was starting in his injured shoulder, but they got to it in time. Michelangelo was very relieved. If they hadn't found Leonardo in time, he probably would have died, not having any real treatment in the arena.

Splinter sat down next to him on the cushioned bench, leaning heavily against the wall. Michelangelo couldn't help but notice how tired his father and sensei was. Was it just him, or was Splinter even grayer than before?

"Sensei," Michelangelo began hesitantly.

Splinter looked up at his son wearily. Michelangelo slightly wiggled the fingers spreading out from his swollen hand and wrist, struggling to get his words out. Splinter put a hand on his shoulder, making his son look back down at him.

"What is it Michelangelo?" He asked.

Michelangelo looked away again, back to the Utroms floating quickly up and down the wide, white hallway.

"Well," He said with a small, unconfident voice. "Leo's back, but how long do you think before we really get him back? What I mean is-"

"I understand my son." Splinter interrupted.

Michelangelo turned back to his father. He completely understood what happened, even without hearing the full story.

"If we remain vigilant, as you have," Splinter said, shocking Michelangelo. "Leonardo will return to us."

Michelangelo closed his eyes and rested his head on his knees. How had Splinter known? He didn't tell anyone, not even Donatello, how he'd felt, what he'd done. No one was supposed to know about his searches for Leonardo, for answers. No one should have known about the nights he snuck out. Did Splinter know about that night, the night he found his older brother?

~o*o~0~o*o~

Sofonisba watched the white mouse helping to treat her husband's wounds. Her eyes were soft and a lingering feeling of solace radiated from their deep blue hue. Her hands tenderly bandaged Leonardo's shoulder. He looked up at her, trying to remember her face. Sofonisba could barely stand the pained look in the mouse's eyes. She acted as if Leonardo had died, as if the separation had killed _her_. Sofonisba could understand the pain of separation. It left a deep, stinging gash in one's spirit, but there was continual separation for the mouse that she could not fathom. They may be together right now, physically, but Leonardo's bond with her was forgotten. He had no clue she was his mother, not even now. There hadn't been time to tell him until this moment, when Sofonisba had been allowed into the room. There was no one to translate for him before now.

With gentle, slow movements, Sofonisba neared the two. Leonardo smiled and reached for her hand. Something flashed in Sumi's eyes. Was it jealousy? That Leonardo knew and felt his connection to her, his wife but not his mother? Was there hostility also? Sofonisba shirked the feeling off. What did Sumi have to be hostile about?

"Takahiro," Sofonisba said softly as she stroked his forehead.

Leonardo closed his eyes at the contact, comforted. She glanced at Sumi who felt angered at the name she'd used. Sofonisba could sense it. Maybe now was not the time. Maybe she should leave, but Sumi got up and left before she could. Leonardo opened his eyes when the door shut. He sat up and stared confusedly at the door. Then he turned back to his wife and asked where the mouse went. Sofonisba stroked his head again and slowly pushed him back down on the white bed.

"Korpha plabed gorni," she said. "Mother."

Leonardo grew wide eyed as he began to understand.

"Mo-th-er?" he sounded out.

Sofonisba nodded, taking hold of his hand. She kissed it and pressed it against her cheek, watching his eyes. Something sparkled in them. Hopefully, it was some kind of recognition.

~o*o~0~o*o~

Raphael stood next to Mortu. Both of them were watching an interrogation on a large computer screen. It was live feed from one of the holding cells down in the basement. The Foot Ninja had been resilient, but was now finally answering after a brutal torturing.

"W-We… We were s-supposed to c-come and… and s-stop you." he struggled to say through the massive pain.

"From recovering Leonardo. Is that right?" Eliot asked while staring down the ninja sprawled on the floor.

"Yes… That's co-cor-correct." replied the ninja.

Eliot used his foot to turn over the ninja, to see his face. His eyes could barely open. The swollen, purple face squeezed them nearly shut.

"He h-has vit-al inform-information… as you al-already know." the ninja huffed slowly.

Raphael's eyes shot to Mortu.

"That's enough Eliot." Mortu said into his communicator.

Raphael watched Eliot leave the room without another word, slamming the door shut.

"He doesn't know about Leo." Raphael said.

"That may play to our advantage." Mortu replied.

Raphael could already see it in Mortu's eyes. Release one ninja so he could tell the Shredder what happened, one part of it.

~o*o~0~o*o~

Donatello had heard the good news. Leonardo and the others were fine. They would be taking him home tomorrow, well their temporary home anyway. Now the first priority on Donatello's mind was to breech the language barrier. He was already studying Triceraton. The pronunciations came easily, but the grammar confused him. So far all he could manage to say was, "Hello, how are you today?" Maybe Traximus could help him. As he went to find his new alien friend, his found his mother walking alone down a hallway. The annoyed look on her face made him stop. What was wrong?

"Hi Mom," Donatello greeted as she stopped in front of him. "How's Leo?"

"Much better now, she is with him." Sumi answered.

Donatello raised an eye ridge. It was how she answered him. She had said the word "she" like a curse. Was she talking about Sofonisba?

"Who," Donatello asked. "Sophie?"

Sumi didn't understand.

"Oh yeah, Mikey gave her a nick name. Sofonisba sounded too formal to him." Donatello explained with a small smile.

"I see." Sumi replied spiritlessly.

Donatello saw the life drain out of her face. What was it about Sofonisba that made her this way?

He took his mother's hand and led her to the library; a quiet place to talk. The library was large. The four walls were covered in books. Soft armchairs and couches and tables were in the center or the room, placed just so that everyone had enough room to either read alone or converse quietly with one another.

Donatello picked out the place farthest away from everyone. Once settled beside each other, Donatello asked her.

"Are you okay, with Leo being married?" Donatello asked.

"Why would I not?" She snapped. "If all of you could experience the sacred bonds of marriage, I would want nothing more."

"Okay," Donatello replied calmly. "Then you're happy about being a grandma too?"

She shot him a look that was utterly offended.

"Of course!" answered Sumi, shocked.

"Then what is it about her?" Donatello pressed further. "What is it that bothers you?"

Sumi frowned sadly and stared down at the floor. Her fists laying on her knees, clenched and shaking slightly.

"I wish I could say it was nothing, but I…" she hesitated.

Donatello put a hand over one of hers.

"What mom?" He asked encouragingly.

"I can't help feeling… feeling… envious." Sumi admitted slowly.

"You're jealous?" Donatello asked.

She didn't look proud of it. She couldn't look at him. Donatello smiled softly, understanding now.

"Don't worry about it." Donatello said, gripping her hand tighter. "I can see how you feel that way. After all, she's the one closest to Leo right now. She knows why he is the way he is, what's behind the mind of Takahiro the Gladiator."

Sumi raised her head, tears soaking her fur.

"Leo only knows the love she gives him, but that's only because of what's happened to him. He lost any and all memory of us."

She wiped her eyes and smiled weakly.

"I understand _that_," she sniffled. "And I couldn't be more grateful that Leonardo had her during that dreadful time… I only wish I could have reached him, stopped it from happening at all, from loosing him like this."

She began to sob again, like before when they first brought Leonardo back. Donatello hugged her with one arm while she put her head down again.

"We haven't lost him yet." Donatello said comfortingly. "I promise. We'll get him back. He's Leo Mom. He'll find a way back if it kills him."

She nodded, but Donatello knew the hopelessness she felt. He was doing his best to keep it at bay from his own heart.


End file.
